Welcome to the “Olivkovaya kostochka” (“Olive Pit”) Festival page!
This year, for the first time, we are hosting a festival of chamber professional theatres on World Theatre Day.
Over the course of three days, ENA Theatre will become a space for meeting, connecting, and taking action. You can look forward to performances, discussions, a workshop, a lecture, and a play reading.
There is something interesting for all ages.
As part of the festival:
Performances and post-performance discussions (see descriptions below)
Butoh–Clown training “Inner Child Awakening” (description below)
Play reading by festival participants (participation by donation)
Learn more about the festival’s concept, participants, and events:
Detailed Performance Descriptions
Paula Gapó
Spain, Barcelona
Performance: “4Love”
Duration: 40m Age: 12+
Language: A performance without words, welcoming audiences of all languages.
“4Love” is a combination of Butoh dance and lyrical clowning. Butoh is, above all, a connection between the human being and nature: sounds, images, textures, and more. The audience may not always be able to clearly define what a particular dance performance is about, but this genre does not aim to over-explain — what matters most is whether the dance resonates with your soul.
This performance contains multiple meanings and images: the four seasons embedded in the music, four manifestations of love, and, of course, the main idea — everything is created for love and inspired by love.
The performance has been successfully presented at various venues in Spain, Italy, and Germany, and has participated in festivals, including Catalonia’s most significant festival, Circ Cric 2020.
Performer & Director: Paula Gapó Costumes: Andrey Ushatinsky Music: Antonio Vivaldi Version: Dmitry Sinkovsky
The Black Owl’s House Theatre
Israel, Ra'anana
Performance: “Everything is Simple”
Duration: 40m Age: 3+ Language: A musical performance without words, welcoming audiences of all languages.
The Black Owl’s House Theatre (Israel) presents “Everything is Simple” – the Best Children’s Performance of 2024 according to Assitej Israel and a laureate of numerous international festivals.
How does a plastic bag dance? What story can a bucket of paint tell? What does an old light bulb sing about? Sometimes the simplest things that surround us in everyday life can reveal the most extraordinary stories. “Everything is Simple” is a performance made up of eight mini-stories — funny and touching, surprising and unexpected. They speak of love and friendship, of outer and inner beauty, of dreams and victories. Eight stories that are understood without words. Eight stories that will make your heart beat faster. This performance invites you to look at the familiar world from a new perspective and discover that it is alive. The objects around us can speak, sing, and dance. It’s simple. You just have to believe in miracles.
A wordless musical performance for children and adults from 3 to 120 years old.
Director: An Khitrik
Performers: An Khitrik and Olga Abarinova
Lighting & Sound Designer: Sergey Rudenya
Music: An Khitrik and Sergey Rudenya
“La Bama” theatre
Israel, Petah Tikva
Performance: “ The True Story of Fr ö ken Hildur Bock, a Contemporary of the Century”
Duration: 1h 15m Age: 12+
Language: Russian
We all remember the eccentric Miss Bock, the strict housekeeper from the cartoon “ Karlsson-on-the-Roof”, who “madly” loves children. But who is she really? What do we actually know about her, apart from her culinary masterpieces — those famous sweet buns?
For the first time on stage, we meet the elderly lady giving an interview. In her memory lives an entire era. And behind the outward comedy lies a story of loss, hope, strength, and a stubborn faith in life.
Who listens to the elderly today? Who is interested in their stories? But once she begins to speak, it becomes impossible to stop listening. Because the life of a person who has lived for 100 years is a whole book — an entire epoch. And most importantly, as you listen, you realize that no matter what happens in life, you must never give up. Do you hear? Never!
Premiere.
Based on the play by Oleg Mikhailov “The True Story of Fröken Hildur Bock, a Contemporary of the Century”
Actress: Olga Isakova
Director: Olga Kondratyeva
Theatre “La Bama” is a prize-winner and diploma recipient of numerous international festivals, including “HarmoNika”(2023/24/25 – Varna, Bulgaria), “Theatrical Baltica” (2024/25 – Riga, Latvia), where it received awards in the nominations “ For a Cohesive Ensemble Reflecting Reality” and “ Best Actress”, as well as “Theatre Without Borders”(Leipzig, Germany), and other international festivals in the USA, Belarus, Italy, Russia, and Cyprus.
The theatre is also the recipient of the Grand Prix in the “ Theatre” category of the international multicultural competition “Holly Land.”
In addition, it has been awarded a prize by the International Congress of World Nations in Italy “ For Outstanding Achievements in Peacebuilding Activities” and granted the honorary title “Ambassador of Peace.”
Lena Telegina
Russia, Novosibirsk
Performance: “Odna/vtoraia” (“One/Half”)
Duration: 55m Age: 12+ Language: Russian
What can we learn about a person from their self-presentation, and what remains behind the scenes of an interview? Does a first impression always reflect reality — or is it only what lies on the surface? Secrets and confessions of an adult woman who unexpectedly became famous and recognizable. A story about how to live with dignity when all circumstances are against you and nothing brings joy. About how self-irony and humor help preserve femininity and kindness.
Reviews of the Performance
“A solo performance by Elena Telegina about loneliness as a discovery and a way of finding oneself.”
“For me, this performance is about the journey toward oneself. About understanding who you are and what you want. About searching for answers to the questions ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why do I live?’. About challenges and joys, about inner and outer resources. About hope. And, of course, about love — first and foremost, love for oneself and for life.”
“A wise, funny, touching, ironic, and deeply alive performance.”
Actress: Lena Telegina Playwright: S. Derby Director: Marina Shelever Set Designer: Alexey Kazarinov
Yuri Harmelin State Youth Drama Theatre “From Rose Street”
Republic of Moldova, Chișinău
Performance: “The Catcher in the Rye”
Duration: 1h30m Age: 10+ Language: Russian
“The Catcher in the Rye” is a solo performance about growing up and inner resistance to a world where sincerity fades too quickly.
The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is exhausted by pretense, empty conversations, and people hiding behind the masks of a “respectable” life. He searches for honesty, tries to understand himself, and to preserve at least a fragment of what is real — in a world that feels false and fragile.
A single actor guides the audience through a stream of thoughts, memories, fears, and hopes. The story is filled with irony, pain, and bitter humor — something deeply familiar to anyone who has ever tried to grow up without losing themselves.
This is a performance about the delicate boundary between childhood and adulthood — a step everyone must take, but not everyone manages to take honestly.
Based on the novel by J. D. Salinger
Actor: Nikita Sergeev
Director: Alexey Shtyrbul
Set Designer: Valentina Belyavskaya
Butoh–Clown training “Inner Child Awakening” by Paula Gapó
